YoutubeVideos
Latest
YouTube mobile app will soon offer offline viewing
In a rare instance of non-iOS 7 related news, YouTube announced on Wednesday that it plans to implement a new mobile feature that will enable users to view YouTube videos offline. According to All Things Digital, the feature will allow users to store video on their mobile device for up to 48 hours before losing access to it. The feature, as one would expect from Google, will be free, but will be supported by mobile advertisements. The YouTube team's press release on the matter reads in part: We're always exploring ways to bring more viewers to your content. As part of this effort, later this year we'll launch a new feature on YouTube's mobile apps that will help you reach fans -- even when they're not connected to the internet. This upcoming feature will allow people to add videos to their device to watch for a short period when an internet connection is unavailable. So your fans' ability to enjoy your videos no longer has to be interrupted by something as commonplace as a morning commute. All in all, this has the makings of a great feature for users while simultaneously providing yet another ad-based revenue stream for Google.
AOL strikes deal with YouTube to start streaming content from various brands
AOL's continuing push to boost its video presence on as many internet places as possible has just secured many of the company's brands a spotlight inside one of the world's biggest sites. According to AllThingsD, AOL and YouTube have inked a deal that will bring "branded channels" with content from sites such as Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Moviefone and even clips from the recently launched HuffPost Live over to the video streaming platform. And while AOL did previously offer some tidbits on YouTube, this move is expected to better solidify and highlight the vid work from properties like the ones mentioned above -- which, of course, could only be accomplished by reaching a new "everyone wins" type of revenue sharing agreement. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the AOL family]
TED-Ed website launches in beta, lets teachers customize video lessons
Last month, TED announced its new education initiative -- fittingly named TED-Ed -- with a YouTube channel showcasing teachers' lessons presented as animated videos. Today, the program moved forward, as TED opened up a beta version of a website meant to complement those lessons. Though there are plenty of study aides here, ed.ted.com is really about the grown-ups on the other side of the classroom. The site lets teachers with a TED account "flip" videos from TED-Ed and YouTube -- i.e., customize them to include multiple-choice and open-answer questions and links to additional info on a topic. Currently there are 62 videos and 238 "flips" available for viewing, but TED is gearing up for a full launch to be timed with the new school year in September.
YouTube extends movie rental service to the UK
YouTube -- no longer the favorite repository for cats playing pianos -- has launched its movie rental service for folks across the pond. Previously available in North America only, web denizens in Ol' Blighty will now have access to brand new flicks for 24-hours at $3.99 a pop. Looks like all Mountain View needs now is Hulu to fully control the play-shifted portal.
Bit.ly quantifies internet impatience, old links get no love
Oh internet, we love your animated GIFs and sad Keanu websites, but how much attention are we really giving each link? According to a recent study by URL shortener Bit.ly, a standard link is clicked for an average of three hours until traffic subsides by 50 percent, eventually fading away into oblivion. If we're talking about a super timely news story like an earthquake hitting the east coast, well, its half-life was a paltry five minutes. When URLs are shared on social networks, they last around 3.2 hours on Facebook and 2.8 hours on Twitter, but those on YouTube persist more than twice that long. There, link half-life is 7.4 hours -- probably because it's home to phenom bomb memes like the one found after the break.
